6'6" 176lbs. Here is my diet, please critique.

[ogstrength]

Hey, i'm 19, 6'6" 176lbs , i know i am underweight, but I have trained for 1 year and put on 20 clean pounds in the first year (did starting strength and stronglifts). I am switching over to a 5 day split and plan on lifting for another year and trying to hit 200lbs. Is this even possible in 1 year? I am an ectomorph so i can clean bulk even on mcdonalds etc.

I eat 4000 calories a day (not sure if this is enough? been told to eat 6000) with at least 200 gram protein a day, my macros are 25% protein/ 31% fat/ 44% carbs. I find carbs to be very easy to get high calories, 2 cups oats a day, whole wheat bread ETC. is this recommended? I feel i should be eating more meat, but its tougher to eat larger amounts of meat than carbs, i feel fuller.


Currently I eat

Breakfast-

2 cup oats , 5 eggs, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 500 ml milk (blend it all into a drink) roughly 1.2k cals

Post workout-
now sports pro gainer whey protein (1000 cal, 40g protein)

Meal 2-
3 double cheeseburgers (420cals each) 1260cals

meal 3-
500ml milk
pasta 200g, beef/chicken/tuna (800-1200cals varies)


meal 4 before bed-
Cashews/peanuts/cottage cheese
500ml milk

thanks for any help

[SlimmerMe]

Congrats for putting on 20 clean pounds!
You came to the right forum. There is great help here.
Good Luck to you!

[bigslick7878]

You are not taking in nearly enough protein, your macros should be 40/40/20. 25% won't cut it. If you are eating 4k calories you should have DOUBLE the protein intake you have now. I try to aim for a 10-1 calorie to protein ration and usually hit it.

That 6k is probably accurate considering your build. Try to get as close to that as possible.

4 meals- not enough. Try for 6 1000 calorie meals.

The postworkout is not a meal, it has no real food.

The last meal is not a meal.

Your complex carbs needed to grow are pretty much non existent.

The diet needs a TON of work there are people here who can help you better than I can.

Itr amazes me you have gained 20lbs eating that. That is good news for you though because if you had a real diet could probably put on some more weight.

[jngymrat]

There are a ton of holes in your diet but not knowing specifically what you want to do its hard to tell. Can you give us (exactly) what your trying to achieve? Pure weight gain?

[ogstrength]

thanks to above posters.

I'm in at 178lbs, 6'6" so my goal is easily to bulk. Short term i want to hit 200lbs ASAP with clean gains (not hard for me since i burn fat easy during workouts).

40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats? basically reverse where my fat is now with protein.

The thing about protein is i get full very easily off chicken breast, beef etc.
my quick quaker oats are complex carbs right?

Here is my revised diet

Breakfast/ meal 1-

2 cup oats , 5 eggs, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 500 ml milk (blend it all into a drink) roughly 1.2k cals

Post workout-
now sports pro gainer whey protein (1000 cal, 40g protein)
5 boiled eggs

Meal 2-
3 double cheeseburgers (420cals each) 1260cals
various drink

meal 3-
500ml milk
whole pasta 200g, beef/chicken/tuna (800-1200cals varies)

Meal 4-
Beans/chick peas 200g (for more complex carbs, and protein)
Tuna
whole wheat bread


meal 5 before bed-
Cashews/peanuts (can easily get 600 cals from cashews)
cottage cheese (high slow releasing protein before bed)
oats (more complex carbs) (energy recovery during sleep)
500ml milk

I think this would bring me to 5500 cals, there's more protein in there too. I heard you need 1.25 gram protein/lb of body weight? so that would be 220grams for me, and currently i hit 200grams, so i am definitely undercutting on protein

[gbrice75]

Agreed with the above - protein is way too low to begin with. There's no way you need 6000 calories/day - whoever told you that is an idiot, sorry. Chances are you don't even need 4000 calories - I bet you could add weight with 3500 calories/day of the RIGHT foods at the right times, with a good training regimen. See bold below:

thanks to above posters.

I'm in at 178lbs, 6'6" so my goal is easily to bulk. Short term i want to hit 200lbs ASAP with clean gains (not hard for me since i burn fat easy during workouts).

40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats? basically reverse where my fat is now with protein.

For you, 40/40/20 would probably be ideal. I'd even go with 40/45/15 for better results.

The thing about protein is i get full very easily off chicken breast, beef etc.
my quick quaker oats are complex carbs right?

Not to be a d!ck, but man up and eat!! Your stomach will take a few weeks to literally stretch to accommodate the extra food. Once it does, don't be surprised if you actually find yourself getting hungry! Yes, oats are a very good source of complex carb.

Here is my revised diet

Breakfast/ meal 1-

2 cup oats , 5 eggs, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 500 ml milk (blend it all into a drink) roughly 1.2k cals

Ok, yes you want to add weight, etc - but this is too much in one sitting. Most bodybuilders sitting at 250lbs don't eat 1200 calories in one sitting. Plus, I know you feel you can eat whatever and not gain fat, but we don't WANT to try and gain fat, right? So, let's do this clean then, because you have a TON of fat in this meal. Drop oats to 1.5 cups at the MOST (1 cup would probably be plenty), make it 2 whole eggs and 6-8 whites, drop the peanut butter completely. Keep the milk, make it skim

Post workout-
now sports pro gainer whey protein (1000 cal, 40g protein)
5 boiled eggs

No wonder you don't make gains, relying on this crap. Drop the ENTIRE meal. Do 50g of whey protein (not gainer crap, just straight whey protein isolate) and add 75g complex carb - i'd just dump more oats right into the shake.

Meal 2-
3 double cheeseburgers (420cals each) 1260cals
various drink

Do I even have to comment here? This is a crap meal. Drop it completely and replace with 8oz of lean protein, and 50-60g complex carb - sweet potato, brown rice, lentils, beans, oats, quinoa, yam, etc

meal 3-
500ml milk
whole pasta 200g, beef/chicken/tuna (800-1200cals varies)

Keep it on the lower end. Again, 1200 calories is way too much in one sitting. Also make it skim milk. Where's the veggies?

Meal 4-
Beans/chick peas 200g (for more complex carbs, and protein)
Tuna
whole wheat bread

Decent enough


meal 5 before bed-
Cashews/peanuts (can easily get 600 cals from cashews)
cottage cheese (high slow releasing protein before bed)
oats (more complex carbs) (energy recovery during sleep)
500ml milk

I wouldn't do high carb and fats here. In fact, i'd personally drop the carbs and stick with a protein/fat meal before bed. Also, 600 cals from nuts is TOO MUCH! Do you want to gain WEIGHT, or do you want to gain LEAN BODY MASS? Think about that.

I think this would bring me to 5500 cals, there's more protein in there too. I heard you need 1.25 gram protein/lb of body weight? so that would be 220grams for me, and currently i hit 200grams, so i am definitely undercutting on protein

Well we can easily drop that down to 3500 - 4000 calories by following recommendations above. You do NOT need 5500 calories to gain weight, i'll bet on it. Start eating the right foods and you will make gains.

[bigslick7878]

thanks to above posters.

I'm in at 178lbs, 6'6" so my goal is easily to bulk. Short term i want to hit 200lbs ASAP with clean gains (not hard for me since i burn fat easy during workouts).

40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats? basically reverse where my fat is now with protein.

The thing about protein is i get full very easily off chicken breast, beef etc.
my quick quaker oats are complex carbs right?

Here is my revised diet

Breakfast/ meal 1-

2 cup oats , 5 eggs, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 500 ml milk (blend it all into a drink) roughly 1.2k cals

Post workout-
now sports pro gainer whey protein (1000 cal, 40g protein)
5 boiled eggs

Meal 2-
3 double cheeseburgers (420cals each) 1260cals
various drink

meal 3-
500ml milk
whole pasta 200g, beef/chicken/tuna (800-1200cals varies)

Meal 4-
Beans/chick peas 200g (for more complex carbs, and protein)
Tuna
whole wheat bread


meal 5 before bed-
Cashews/peanuts (can easily get 600 cals from cashews)
cottage cheese (high slow releasing protein before bed)
oats (more complex carbs) (energy recovery during sleep)
500ml milk

I think this would bring me to 5500 cals, there's more protein in there too. I heard you need 1.25 gram protein/lb of body weight? so that would be 220grams for me, and currently i hit 200grams, so i am definitely undercutting on protein

A few things in general.

1.5 grams of protein per lb is usually good for bodybuilding. In your case that needs to be double. 1.25 is woefully inadequate, especially with your stats.

What you need to do is find a whey protein powder you like, buy it in bulk and drink that with EVERY meal. I mix mine with water, you can mix with skim milk how much is up to you. At least a 50/50 split but honestly I would go straight milk 100%. That will provide a ton of extra clean calories with protein and then you wont have to eat that McDonalds every day and jack your fat through the roof and try to get those calories.

Take a gallon of milk, dump whatever out needs to be to mix the powder and then do some math ( I use 12 scoops per gallon @23grams each). A 16 oz glass mixed with milk should be in the 350-375 calorie range, probably 60grams of protein and little fat. 5-6 times a day with a meal and you are already at about 300-350 grams of protein, not including food. That is what you need to do if you want to put on any meaningful weight.

You want calories but you want them to be as clean as possible.

Every meal should have a lean protein, a complex carb/vegetable and the protein shake.

For example, a good solid meal could be 2 scoops of whey at 130 cal each, 14 oz skim milk that it gets mixed with, 10oz of chicken breast, 1.5 serving of sweet potatoe/brown rice and 1.5 serving of a green vegetable.

That meal would be around 800 CLEAN calories with a ton of protein. Yes that is a big plate of food, if you can't eat like that every meal I don't know what to tell you.

I would also like to see some steak in there somewhere, a food with a TOn of protein and calories to go with it. Got a little fat depending on the cut but we are not worried about that right now. Substitute the chicken in the above meal with 8oz of steak and we are over 1000 calories.

It is extremely hard to get the amount of calories you need eating good food, not impossible but hard. I would take that cheat meal you eat every day and do it every other day, or once every three days preferably days you work out.

[ogstrength]

sweet, thanks for the 2 very informative posts. I'm kind of stuck now deciding between 3.25% milk vs skim milk. I could go with a soy milk which has extremely low fat and higher protein, but less calories overall.

I don't like mcdonalds at all, but its a really easy way to get those cals in after the workout/before i get home, but it's true that it is dirty bulking and will completely cut it out or at least limit to once a week. I would be better off not eating for 1 hour til i get home to clean eat?

I'm incorporating black beans/ chick peas into my diet now, with tomato's onions and garlic all mixed in as one meal.
I could lessen the oats for breakfast to 1.5 cups, and have 1 cups post workout in a whey isolate shake. my weight gainer is whey protein, i dont understand what the problem is with it? 8 grams fat, 40 grams protein, 125grams carbs in 1 serving. I'm assuming the carbs are too high/ not complex?

[bigslick7878]

sweet, thanks for the 2 very informative posts. I'm kind of stuck now deciding between 3.25% milk vs skim milk. I could go with a soy milk which has extremely low fat and higher protein, but less calories overall.

What is 3.25%? whole? There is a big difference between whole and skim. Huge difference fat wise. Personally I would never drink whole, no matter what the goal is, but to each his own. All you are getting is a bunch of bad fat calories vs skim, no more protein or anything.

I don't like mcdonalds at all, but its a really easy way to get those cals in after the workout/before i get home, but it's true that it is dirty bulking and will completely cut it out or at least limit to once a week. I would be better off not eating for 1 hour til i get home to clean eat?

Of course it is "easy" to roll through the drive through and get 1300 calories in 3 doubles. But they are trash calories, and all calories are not created equal. Most of those calories come from fat, bad saturated fat. A 800 calorie CLEAN food meal will be much more effective.

I'm incorporating black beans/ chick peas into my diet now, with tomato's onions and garlic all mixed in as one meal.

I could lessen the oats for breakfast to 1.5 cups, and have 1 cups post workout in a whey isolate shake. my weight gainer is whey protein, i dont understand what the problem is with it? 8 grams fat, 40 grams protein, 125grams carbs in 1 serving. I'm assuming the carbs are too high/ not complex?

You need FOOD. Protein shake is meant to be a supplement, in addition to food. Real food is always better than a shake. For your goals you need real food with every meal, and lots of it. Oats are fine, you need a lean source of protein to go with it. What were we saying about your macro breakdown? Equal amounts of protein and carbs in every meal. 40 and 125 isn't even close.

And Gbrice is right, 6k calories is a little excessive. 4500-5000 for your body is not IMO. But he knows more than me so go with what he says.

[ogstrength]

Ok thanks for the help guys, i revised based on your advice and took out mcdonalds completely, i didn't even like the stuff.

meal 1-
2 whole boiled eggs, 6 egg whites boiled.
1 cup oats
500ml milk (low fat)
Multi, fish oil, vitamin B, D, C


meal 2/post workout-
weight gainer shake (whey, will switch to whey isolate when used my tubs of gainer)
half cup oats mixed in
3 boiled eggs whole (is my cholesterol intake becoming too high with all the eggs?)

meal 3-
10oz steak/chicken
tomatos/lettuce/brocolli (veggie variety)
250ml low fat milk

meal 4-
black beans/chick peas/lentils
tomatos/onions/garlic (more veggies)
250ml low fat milk

meal 5-
Tuna/sardines/seafood
whole wheat bread
250ml milk

meal 6- prebed
cottage cheese, cheese variety
some protein food (figuring it out)


Whats the word on tuna/sardines every day, is the mercury content too dangerous?

Thanks again

edit-- would beef liver be recommended

[bigslick7878]

You need more protein, and the only way to get it is with a whey powder, in multiple meals with the milk.

I average about 6 scoops a day which is about 138 grams alone.(and I am 5'10 190 without the ridiculous metabolism you have) You need that minimum if not more. That is about 35% of my daily protein intake.

If you figured out all the macros meal by meal you would realize you are still way short, because there is no protein powder in there. If you want to get the right amount to build muscle it is a must. It also has many other benefits with the vitamins and amino acids in it.

[gbrice75]

And Gbrice is right, 6k calories is a little excessive. 4500-5000 for your body is not IMO. But he knows more than me so go with what he says.

If he were closer to a 'normal' bodyweight for his height and trying to add mass, i'd be open to higher calories (still not 5000 calories, that's bodybuilder level calories), but at 176lbs, regardless of height, there's no way he needs that much.

If the OP runs a good diet for a while and still can't make gains (assuming the training is also in check), then I may eat those words. But I don't believe a 176lb guy needs 4500-5000 calories to grow - and DEFINITELY not 6k!!

[ogstrength]

I agree, i believe i can clean bulk with 3500 -4000 cals a day, I actually still feel hungry after 4k sometimes at the end of the day.

Currently i have 22% fat, 29% protein, 49% carbs. I managed to revert my fat which was one of my goals, but im still eating today. I have a beef liver which is 13g carbs, 13g fat, 78g protein, so that will boost my protein % immensely. If i can get whey protein isolates i will be set.

As for my training, i switched from starting strength after 1year to a 5day split

[ogstrength]

So its been around 3 weeks, i fluctuate around 178 lowest to 182lbs , last checked in i was fluctuating 174-176. Been having 3500 calories a day with 35-40% protein/45%carbs/15-20% fat as strict as possible with the right meal timing and everything. I seem to be stalled at around 181lbs for the past two weeks, I check my weight every day. Should I ramp up the calories to 4000 now with the same macro %'s?